I didn't realze that Oktoberfest is basically a GIANT sing along, complete with choreographed sparkler dancing. I sweat everyone was singing along then suddenly the lights went dim and then EVERYBODY (except the DSB and I because we are tourists and didn't get the memo about the mass sparkler dance) suddenly had lit sparklers. I mean there were at least 600 people there. Also everyone knows the words to every song that the band plays. Most likely at least half of the songs will move them to stand on the table and sing along. To be honest I felt a bit left out, I totally wanted to join in on the drunken sing along. Of course when they actaully played a song I knew (Country Road by John Denver) I was in line for the bathroom. What is with me and bathrooms?
And SPEAKING of bathrooms....
Germany is the weird toilet capital of the world. It's strange but no matter how nice of a place you are in, the bathroom is ALWAYS going to stink to high heaven. Another funny thing is that the Germans are obsessed with having clean toilet seats. In most places they have bathroom attendants who's job is to wipe the seat down with a rag after each person uses the said toilet. I can't think of a worse job than being a seat wiper at an Oktoberfest celebration where the restroom traffic is heavy and totally shitfaced. The funny part is you are expected to pay .30 euro cents for this service, and the seat wipey lady will physically detain you untill your produce the money. Oh and don't think of even trying to get change. She'll flat out lie to you that she has no change. Even though at least 300 people have used that restroom in the past hour, all paying the seat wipe toll, she has no change smaller than one euro. The really gross part (and the DSB's mother agrees with me on this point) is that they are using the same rag to wipe down the seats over and over, and they're not wearing gloves. They are essentially wiping a seat with a urine soaked rag. I did the hover at every restroom.
Which is why I was so excited when I came to this restroom.
This is a toilet with an automatic seat cleaner. This was the restroom at an eating estalishment who's name translates to the White Horse. This is the place that had the wood carving of a man on the pot. It's a toilet that automatically cleans the seat when you flush. There was a warning sign in German and English saying to stand before you flush on account of when you do that little device at the back comes out and the seat starts to rotate 360 degrees. No crabby German women brandishing urine soaked rags for us! Aint technology grand?
This was a close second on our interesting bathroom list.
That's a tiny soccer goal in a urinal. The DSB wanted this so bad. This one is broken. The one next to it had a tiny soccer ball on a string suspended from the goal. I told the DSB that if he stole it there was NO WAY I was putting it in my purse.
Here's an obligatory Schnitzel pic. This was at the restarant three blocks from the DSB's family house. The food was cheap and scrumptious and the service was Slooooooooooow.
I have loads of food photos but those will have to wait till later.
